Film-strip developing apparatus



Jan. 7, 1964 G. WETZEL STRIP DEVELOPING APPARATUS FILM- Filed May 10, 1960 7n venfor:

G'UEIV ER 0757161 RTTGJEIVEYS United States Patent ice 3,116,677 Patented Jan. 7, 1964 Filed May 10, 1960, Ser. No. 28,068 8 Claims. (Cl. 9594) The present invention relates to apparatus for developing film strips such as those employed in the film industry.

In known apparatus for developing film strips mechanically, several containers which are open at their tops are arranged side-by-side and serve for receiving the different developing, washing and fixing baths. The number of juxtaposed containers is determined by the conditions of operation, that is to say by the stages of operation required for the development of the particular film. The containers have a rectangular cross section and they are placed with their longer lateral surfaces in contact. The containers are accommodated in a housing serving as a base support, said housing having a rear wall projecting beyond the upper edge of the containers. Two shafts which are disposed in the median plane of the containers, are associated to each container, one upper driven shaft and one lower shaft which rotates freely. The drive of the upper shaft is provided by a driving mechanism arranged on the rear wall of the housing; the driven shaft is rigidly connected with this driving mechanism. in the known constructions and therefore, is fixed to the rear wall of the housing. The lower freely-rotating shaft is arranged to slide in the container in a vertical plane and, in the operating position, is situated in the lower region of the container. Transport rollers are arranged on both shafts, the film to be developed being placed over said transport rollers, in such a manner that said film is guided through the container in a number of loops corresponding to the number of transport rollers arranged on a shaft and is brought into contact with the liquid contained in said container. The film to be developed is taken out of the film drum by means of a roller and is fed to the inlet roller of the upper driven shaft. This inlet roller rotates with the driven shaft; for this purpose the inlet roller is rigidly coupled to the driven shaft. From this inlet roller, the film travels downwardly over the corresponding freely-rotating roller of the lower shaft, from there upwardly over the adjacent freelyrotating roller of the upper shaft, from there downwardly over the adjacent freely-rotating roller of the lower shaft, etc., until the film leaves the container on the last freelyrotating transport roller of the upper driven shaft. From here, the film passes into the next container, which is also provided with two shafts, one upper driven shaft and one lower freely-rotating shaft. Here also, the transport roller of the driven shaft is rigidly connected to said shaft, said transport roller receiving the film. The run of the film in the second container corresponds to that in the first container; in this manner, the film is passed through all containers until it is withdrawn from the last container by means of a transport roller and is conveyed in the drying chamber. As has already been stated, the upper driven shaft is fixed to the wall of the housing above the container and therefore is situated above the liquid bath which is in the container. In developing black and white films, the arrangement of the upper driven shaft above the liquid bath is suitable because it facilitates handling and enables a satisfactory supervision of the run of the film in the containers.

However, in developing color films such an arrangement of the upper driven shaft above the liquid bath is not possible, because the film leaves the liquid bath via the upper shaft, and therefore oxidation phenomena which have a damaging effect on the collar of the fihn take place owing to contact of the wet film with the atmosphere. Therefore, in developing color films, the film to be developed must be guided in the liquid bath in such a manner that it does not come into contact with the atmosphere during its passage through the bath. For this purpose, clip-on brackets have been provided which are attached to the upper edges of the individual containers and are provided with a spindle on which transport rollers are arranged. Each clip-on bracket is constructed in such a manner that the spindle accommodated thereby, and which is provided with transport rollers, is situated below the liquid bath of the container. In developing color films, this clipon bracket is suspended in the container. The incoming film is guided in the usual manner over the driven transport roller of the upper driven shaft onto the first transport roller of the lower shaft which rotates freely and from there is placed on the transport rollers of the suspended freely-rotating upper shaft in such a manner that the loops formed in the liquid bath run entirely below the liquid bath and therefore the film is permanently wetted by the developing liquid during the whole of its pass-age through the container. Each container is equipped with such an additional suspended upper transport shaft; during the transfor from one container to the following container, the film leaving the first container passes over the driven roller of the upper driven shaft of the following containor and from there is guided on the lower freely-rotating transport shaft, and is guided in loops over the upper suspended shaft, as was described above. The drawback of this known arrangement is that, besides the additional arrangement of a suspendable upper transport roller, the film leaving a container, must on being transferred into the following container, undergo a rather long travel in the atmosphere over the driven roller of the upper driven shaft, whereby discoloration cannot be entirely excluded.

Film developing machines have already become known in which the upper set of driven rollers may be raised and lowered in its entirety over the level of the liquid and under it. However, handling such machines is complicated.

The present invention provides an improvement in film strip developing apparatus, according to which it is superfiuous to arrange additionally suspendable transport shafts for developing color films or a special mechanism for raising and lowering the upper rollers.

The invention consists in that each upper driven shaft is individually engageable with the driving mechanism on the wall of a housing carrying the driving mechanism, selectively in two operating positions, disposed preferably in the median plane of the container, in the upper of which the transport rollers on said shaft are disposed above the liquid bath of the container, and in the lower of which said transport rollers are disposed below said liquid bath.

The advantage of this arrangement according to the invention consists in that the previously known arrangement of an additionally suspendable upper transport shaft is unnecessary since the upper driven shaft, owing to its detachable arrangement, may be selectively suspended on the wall of the housing, in the upper operating position or in the lower operating positions above or below the level of liquid. By this means the necessity of suspending in the container an additional transport shaft arranged in a carrier bracket, is removed, for developing color films.

If desired, the driven shaft may be detachable from the wall of the housing and be received in a bracket like carrier frame having a leg facing the wall of the housing, which leg is constructed as a suspension member which is selectively engageable with one of two holder members spaced apart in positions representing the spacing of the two operating positions. The driven shaft which is constructed so that it may be detached ensures a substantial advantage in so far as by means of this measure, a substantial space is saved in transporting the housing. As has already been stated, hitherto the driving shaft was rigidly connected to the housing and extended perpendicularly to the wall of the housing over a length of approximately 40 cm. and thus the housing fitted with the rigid driven shaft necessitated a transport container of corresponding dimensions. A further danger consisted in that the driven shafts, which were rigidly arranged on the housing, could become damaged or bent during transport and thereby repairs were often necessary before putting the apparatus into operation. This is avoided by the detachably arranged driven shaft according to the invention, which may be transported separately from the housing and thus on the one hand a considerably smaller space is required for packing the housing, for transport and on the other hand, danger of damage of the driven shaft is removed.

In order to enable an engagement between the driving mechanism and the driven shaft a spur gear which is rigidly connected to the driving mechanism may be arranged on the wall of the housing carrying the holder members, between the two operating positions of the driven shaft, while a gear wheel is secured to the driven shaft, said gear wheel being situated on the external side of the leg of the bracket carrying the suspending member and said gear wheel being in engagement in the two operating positions with the driving spur gear, i.e. in the upper operating position with the upper apex of the spur gear, and in the lower operating position with the lower apex of the spur gear.

In order to avoid damage of the mutually-engaging driving spur gears, they may be provided with cover members having recesses therein at the engagement positions. By this means, the driving spur gears are covered, except at the engagement position, and therefore, injury to the operatives from the rotating spur gears, cannot occur.

The connection between the suspension member and the holder members may be efiected by means of a swinging catch known per se, which is releasable in the tilted position of the carrier bracket and can be locked in the operating position of the carrier bracket. By this means the driven shaft may be easily detached from the particular operating position without any tools.

In order to hold the driven shaft always in the correct operating position, stops may be arranged on the suspension member and on the holder members of the housing, the surfaces of the stops being superimposed in the operating position to fix the driven shaft accurately in the operating position.

In order that the transfer of the film to be developed, from one tank into the adjacent tank be kept as short as possible, a guide roller is preferably arranged between each two adjacent tanks, each guide roller being preferably fixed on the upper edge of one of the two tanks and the film being guided by means of said guide roller through the shortest path from one liquid bath into the next.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show one specific embodiment thereof by way of example and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a machine for developing films with two tanks for liquid and two upper drive shafts constructed according to the invention, in both operating positions,

FIG. 2 shows a lateral view of the holder members arranged at the rear wall of the housing.

FIG. 3 shows a lateral view of the upper and lower drive shafts, both of them being identical.

Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a film developing machine in which two tanks 1, 2 for liquid are arranged. These tanks have a rectangular cross sectional shape and are arranged in a housing (not shown) with their longer lateral faces juxtaposed. A rear wall 3 is provided on the housing which rear wall is situated above the tank 1, 2 and carries the drive mechanism for the upper driven shaft associated to each tank; this drive mechanism 23 is shown in box diagram form. in FIG. 1. The drive mechanism ends in a spur gear 4 which is arranged at the front of the rear wall 3. Such a driving spur gear 4 is associated to each tank 1, 2. The spur gear 4 is covered by a protecting cover member or cap 5 which merely leaves free the zones of the upper and lower apex of the spur gear 4. The upper driven shaft 6 is received in a supporting frame 7 and is rotatabiy mounted between the legs 8 and 9 of the supporting frame 7. The leg 9 is constructed as a suspension member If), which may be brought into engagement with the holder members 11 which are secured to the rear wall. For this purpose the suspension member It is constructed as a swinging catch and for this puipose has a bore 12 provided with a slot. Pivots 13 are provided on both sides of the holder member 11 which pivots are provided with plane parallel flats which enable the suspension member 10 to be hung in the holder members 11 only when the supporting frame 7 is in the tilted position, since the slot of the bore 12 can only be displaced in this position over the flats of the bolts '13. In the operating position the suspension member 19 cannot be detached from the holder member 11. In order to ensure a precisely aligned operating position of the shaft 6 relative to the tank 1, 2, a stop 14 is arranged on the holder member 11 and a corresponding stop 15 is arranged on the suspension member 10, said stops being superimposed in the operating position of the shaft 6, thus fixing the precise position of the shaft. In order to enable an easy manipulation of the shaft 6 with the supporting frame 7, a handle 16 is arranged at the upper end of the suspension member-10 and at the upper end of the leg 8 a finger hole 17 is provided whereby the shaft 6 may be easily brought into the desired operating position, without the operators becoming wetted with liquid from the tank, when developing color filrns in the lower operating position.

The shaft 6 is freely rotatable with respect to the supporting frame 7 and carries on its front end which passes through the leg 9, a gear wheel 13 which is covered by at protecting cover member or cap 19 which leaves free the zones of the upper and lower apex. Seven transport rollers are arranged on the shaft 6, including a transport roller Ztl which is situated adjacent the gear wheel 18 and secured to the shaft, while the other transport rollers 21 are arranged to rotate freely on the shaft.

The shaft 6 associated with the tank 1, is situated in the lower operating position which must be used in developing color films. In this case, the lower apex of the spur gear 4 arranged on the rear wall 3, engages in the upper apex of the gear wheel 18 arranged on the supporting frame and rotates the shaft 6 and with it the transporting roller 20. The shaft 6 associated with the tank 2., is situated in the upper operating position which is used in developing black and white films. In this connection the upper apex of the spur gear 4 engages in the lower apex of the gear wheel 18 and rotates the shaft 6 in the same direction as in the lower operating position. The dimensions and mutual position of the spur gears 4 and of the holder members 11 are so arranged that the spur gear 4 can be engaged with the gear wheel 18 in both the upper and lower operating positions, and that in the upper operating position the shaft 6 is situated above the liquid bath and in the lower operating position, the shaft 6 is situated below it.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

The film is to be developed and which is not shown in the drawing, is applied from the spool on to the driven transport roller 26 of the shaft associated with the tank 1, and from here is guided in loop shape through the tank over the transport rollers of the lower shaft (not shown) and over the transport rollers 21 of the upper shaft, until it leaves the tank 1 on the last transport roller 21 and is transferred to tank 2. For this purpose the film is placed on the roller of the shaft associated with the tank 2, said roller being situated adjacent the leg 8; in this case the roller is secured to the shaft 6 and thus is the driven roller 20, while the other transport rollers are arranged to rotate freely. The drive of the shafts 6 and thus of the driven transport rollers 2t) is eifected by means of the spur gears 4 which at the same time are driven at the same speed by the driving mechanism arranged in the housing 3. These spur gears are either in the upper or in the lower operation position in engagement with the gear wheels 1d. Owing to the construction according to the invention, the shaft 6 may easily be detached by tilting from the swinging catch 12, i3 and be removed from the rear wall of the container in order to be transferred to the other operating position. In this way, it is possible to process black and white films as well as color films in the same developing machine without any need of providing additional units; the shaft 6 merely has to be suspended in either the upper or lower suspension member 11 in order to obtain one or the other operating position.

When developing color films, the film is passed over from the tank 1 to the driven transport roller 20 of the shaft 6 of the tank 2, by way of a guide roller 22 which may be put up on the juxtaposed walls of the tank 1, 2 by means or" a clip known per se and thus enables a transfer of the film from the tank 1 into tank 2, the shafts 6 being positioned below the level of the liquid.

I claim:

1. A film-strip developing apparatus for both black and white and color film comprising a plurality of containers open at the top and arranged one after the other to constitute liquid developing, washing and fixing baths; a housing to accommodate said containers and having a rear wall extending in height above said containers; a driving mechanism disposed on said rear wall; an upper driven shaft and a lower freely-rotating shaft provided with transport rollers associated with each of said containers for guiding film arranged to pass through the container in several loops; means for adjusting all of said upper shafts for height and for engaging each of them individually with said mechanism selectively in one of two operating positions, in the upper of which the transport rollers on said shaft are disposed above the liquid level of said containers, and in the lower of which said transport rollers are disposed below the liquid level of said containers.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which each driven shaft is detachable from the wall of the housing and is accommodated in a bracket type carrier frame having a leg facing the wall of the housing and formed as a suspension member which is selectively engageable with one of two holder members spaced apart in positions representing the spacing of the two operating positions.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which a spur gear is secured to the wall of the housing carrying the holder members, at a position between the two operating positions of the driven shaft, said spur gear being rigidly connected to the driving mechanism, and in which a gear wheel is secured to the driven shaft for engagement with said spur gear in both operating positions, said gear wheel being disposed on the external side of the leg of the bracket carrying the suspension member.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 3, in which the spur gear is provided with a cover member, recesses being provided in said cover member corresponding to the positions of engagement of said gear.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the connection between the suspension member and the holder members is effected by means of a swinging catch which is releasable in the tilted position of the carrier bracket and is lockable in the operating position.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, in which stops are arranged on the suspension member and on the holder members of the housing.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which a guide roller for transferring the film is arranged between any two adjacent tanks.

8. Apparatus as claimed in claim 7, in which said guide rolller is secured to the edge of one of the two adjacent tan s.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,048,182 De Ybarrondo July 21, 1936 

1. A FILM-STRIP DEVELOPING APPARATUS FOR BOTH BLACK AND WHITE AND COLOR FILM COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF CONTAINERS OPEN AT THE TOP AND ARRANGED ONE AFTER THE OTHER TO CONSTITUTE LIQUID DEVELOPING, WASHING AND FIXING BATHS; A HOUSING TO ACCOMMODATE SAID CONTAINERS AND HAVING A REAR WALL EXTENDING IN HEIGHT ABOVE SAID CONTAINERS; A DRIVING MECHANISM DISPOSED ON SAID REAR WALL; AN UPPER DRIVEN SHAFT AND A LOWER FREELY-ROTATING SHAFT PROVIDED WITH TRANSPORT ROLLERS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID CONTAINERS FOR GUIDING FILM ARRANGED TO PASS THROUGH THE CONTAINER IN SEVERAL LOOPS; MEANS FOR ADJUSTING ALL OF SAID UPPER SHAFTS FOR HEIGHT AND FOR ENGAGING EACH OF THEM INDIVIDUALLY WITH SAID MECHANISM SELECTIVELY IN ONE OF TWO OPERATING POSITIONS, IN THE UPPER OF WHICH THE TRANSPORT ROLLERS ON SAID SHAFT ARE DISPOSED ABOVE THE LIQUID LEVEL OF SAID CONTAINERS, AND IN THE LOWER OF WHICH SAID TRANSPORT ROLLERS ARE DISPOSED BELOW THE LIQUID LEVEL OF SAID CONTAINERS. 